Journey Down The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Nomads took advantage of the sunshine last weekend and embarked on a journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We started at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center and Headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina and we explored it heading south through the Pisgah National Forest.

This stretch of road took us back through Transylvania County, North Carolina. From a previous post, you were informed that this county was home to many, many waterfalls. This time, not only did we encounter waterfalls, but we also encountered tunnels through mountains, high lookout points (up to 4535 ft above sea level) and majestic scenery that our images do not do justice to.

We started this journey trying to reach Cold Mountain. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and the basis for the movie with the same name. We, unfortunately did not make it because the road was closed. As I mentioned, there are many tunnels. During the winter time, the precipitation can freeze in the tunnels and cause treacherous road conditions. So, from time to time they close the roads as you travel higher.

Although we did not reach Cold Mountain, we saw many beautiful sights as well as some unexpected explorations. We even found out that we were in the midst of a bear sanctuary. [Safety note – do not feed bears if you see them.] We kept seeing things along the way that it seemed like we were jumping in and out of Ebony almost as much as we were driving. We had a thrilling journey and I personally look forward to jumping back on the parkway and doing more exploration while we are still in North Carolina.

If you are near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Southern North Carolina, I highly recommend you take the time to drive it and allot an entire day to its exploration. Also, if you go during the end of Fall and into Winter, fill up before you go and bring snacks as there are no fuel stops or food stops open. Safe Travels.

Walnut Cove Overlook